300) Stone (2010)

300) Stone (2010) Dir: John Curran Date Released: October 2010 Date Seen: September 23, 2010 Rating: 3.25/5

Not sure I should run my review of this since it belongs to Wide Screen and they haven't run it yet nor have they killed it. It may yet show up in another installment of "From the Archives," in other words. In the meantime, I did review it for them and was pleasantly surprised by it. 

299) Of Gods and Men (2010) and 301) The Social Network (2010)

299) Of Gods and Men (2010) Dir: Xavier Beauvois Date Released: February 2011 Date Seen: September 23, 2010 Rating: 4/5

301) The Social Network (2010) Dir: David Fincher Date Released: October 2010 Date Seen: September 24, 2010 Rating: 2.75/5

I started to like The Social Network more the second time around one I wasn't judging it as strictly as an adaptation of The Accidental Billionaires. When I did revisit Of Gods and Men, I also liked it a lot more. Good signs. See my capsule reviews for the New York Press.

297) Robinson in Ruins (2010) and 298) Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives (2010)

297) Robinson in Ruins (2010) Dir: Patrick Keiller Not Yet Released Date Seen: September 21, 2010 Rating: 4/5

298) Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives (2010) Dir: Apichatpong Weerasethakul Date Released: March 2011 Rating: 4/5

An excellent double feature. See my capsule reviews for the New York Press.

295) Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga'Hoole (2010)

295) Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga'Hoole (2010) Dir: Zack Snyder Date Released: September 2010 Date Seen: September 19, 2010 Rating: 1.75/5

There's so much that bugged me about this slick but hollow--heh, hollow--attempt at meta-recontextualizing a formulaic story so that it seems archetypal. In general: 

• Didn't get the sense that the way the brothers' relationship changed was anything more than a weak attempt at lending the film's cynical bildungs roman plot more heft.
• "Come into my hollow" is this movie's flamethrower ejaculate
• Snyder's fascination with the sociological aspects of the owls' lives--pellets! Moon-blinking!--was quaint.
• Slow-motion overload, more so than his other films even. It's surely a sign that Snyder thinks that his slow-mo abuse is stylistic shorthand that might dupe viewers into thinking that they too can recognize a would-be auteur's calling card. 
• Snyder's sense of space here is good, even all of the landscapes' proporotions were outrageously exaggerated. The scene where the two brothers are initially separated is so hard to make out, largely because Snyder doesn't know how to compensate for his virtual sets' gigundo size.

294) Alpha and Omega (2010)

294) Alpha and Omega (2010) Dir: Anthony Bell and Ben Gluck Date Released: September 2010 Date Seen: September 17, 2010 Rating: 2.75/5

It wasn't a good day at the movies. See my review for Slant Magazine.

293) Devil (2010)

293) Devil (2010) Dir: John Erick Dowdle Date Released: September 2010 Date Seen: September 17, 2010 Rating: 2/5

It had promise...at one point. Dowdle could be a good director if he was working with a worthwhile script. See my review for Slant Magazine.

292) Buried (2010)

292) Buried (2010) Dir: Rodrigo Cortes Date Released: September 2010 Date Seen: September 16, 2010 Rating: 3/5

I admire what Cortes accomplished and Reynolds was pretty good, I thought. But that's it. See my review for Slant Magazine.

291) The Autobiography of Nicolae Ceaucescu (2010

291) The Autobiography of Nicolae Ceaucescu (2010) Dir: Andrei Ujica Not Yet Released Date Seen: September 16, 2010 Rating: 4/5

That first week at the New York Film Festival was pretty terrific, wasn't it? See my review for the New York Press.

290) The Town (2010) and 296) Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps (2010)

290) The Town (2010) Dir: Ben Affleck Date Released: September 2010 Date Seen: September 15, 2010 Rating: 3.75/5

296) Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps (2010) Dir: Oliver Stone Date Released: September 2010 Date Seen: September 20, 2010 Rating: 2/5

Two of my first reviews for Wide Screen: ah, memories. Check these out at (you guessed it) Wide Screen.

289) Silence (1971)

289) Silence (1971) Dir: Masahiro Shinoda Not Yet Released Date Seen: September 15, 2010 Rating: 4/5

Extraordinary, really harrowing and thoughtful. See my review for the New York Press.

287) Prisoner 13 (1933) and 288) El Compadre Mendoza (1934)

287) Prisoner 13 (1933) Dir: Fernando de Fuentes Not Yet Released Date Seen: September 14, 2010 Rating: 3.25/5

288) El Compadre Mendoza (1934) Dir: Fernando de Fuentes and Juan Bustillo Oro Date Released: November 1934 Date Seen: September 14, 2010 Rating: 3.5/5

I liked it. Both of it. See my pieces on it for the New York Press.

286) Tuesday, After Christmas (2010)

286) Tuesday, After Christmas (2010) Dir: Radu Muntean Not Yet Released Date Seen: September 13, 2010 Rating: 3.75/5

Very strong and surreally focused melodrama. See my review for the New York Press.

285) Resident Evil: Afterlife (2010)

285) Resident Evil: Afterlife (2010) Dir: Paul W.S. Anderson Date Released: September 2010 Date Seen: September 10, 2010 Rating: 1.25/5

This guy, again. See my review for Slant Magazine.

284) Ludwig: Requiem for a Virgin King (1972)

284) Ludwig: Requiem for a Virgin King (1972) Dir: Hans-Jurgen Syberberg Date Released: July 1980 Date Seen: September 8, 2010 Rating: 3.75/5

Often intolerably inert but also frequently stirring in a mad kind of way. See my piece on Syberberg's trilogy for the New York Press.

283) I'm Still Here (2010)

283) I'm Still Here (2010) Dir: Casey Affleck Date Released: September 2010 Date Seen: September 7, 2010 Rating: 2.25/5

Prove it. See my review for Slant Magazine.

282) Solitary Man (2009)

282) Solitary Man (2009) Dir: Brian Koppelman and David Levien Date Released: May 2010 Date Seen: September 6, 2010 Rating: 3.25/5

A decent if somewhat limited character study. See my dvd review for the New York Press.

281) 3 Billion and Counting (2010)

281) 3 Billion and Counting (2010) Dir: Dr. Rutledge (LOL) Date Released: September 2010 Date Seen: September 5, 2010 Rating: 0.75/5

Such a wretched piece of propaganda. See my review for Time Out New York.

280) Salt (2010)

280) Salt (2010) Dir: Phillip Noyce Date Released: July 2010 Date Seen: September 4, 2010 Rating: 3.25/5

Noyce capably dances around most of the pitfalls of screenwriter/moron Kurt Wimmer's braindead Red Scare-centric scenario by making Salt less about politics than about frenetic motion. The action scenes, in other words, really work. And Angelina Jolie's fun. Good summer flick.

279) The Last Exorcism (2010)

279) The Last Exorcism (2010) Dir: Daniel Stamm Date Released: August 2010 Date Seen: September 4, 2010 Rating: 2/5

I kept waiting for Stamm to make something of his found footage premise, something that would put make The Last Exorcism more than just a cheapy genre films that thoughtlessly exploits the trend. I reasoned, "Surely it's coming considering that at one point, Cotton Marcus (Patrick Fabian) can be heard perfectly even though the camera is at least two hundred feet away from him. Because surely he didn't just happen to have a portable microphone on him that happened to be on at the time." Which just shows to go ya that I overthought this one by a lot. Pretty lackluster and ends with all of the panache of a Clive Barker novel. Blerg.

278) Prince of Broadway (2008)

278) Prince of Broadway (2008) Dir: Sean Baker Date Released: September 2010 Date Seen: September 3, 2010 Rating: 1.5/5

So apparently, one of the former writers of Greg the Bunny wants to be the next Tyler Perry. Take my wife, please. See my review for the New York Press (Damn, I really busted my ass for these folks, didn't I?).

277) The Romantics (2010)

277) The Romantics (2010) Dir: Galt Neiderhoffer Date Released: September 2010 Date Seen: September 2, 2010 Rating: 2/5

Another dull and largely lifeless Amerindie drama. See my review for the New York Press.

275) The Freebie (2010)

275) The Freebie (2010) Dir: Katie Aselton Date Released: September 2010 Date Seen: August 31, 2010 Rating: 2/5

I was supposed to review this for the Press but then, after seeing the movie, I found out that apparently I wasn't supposed to review it anymore. So at the time, I had all these half-formed thoughts about why Aselton's suffocating close-ups robbed her and her co-star of the opportunity to really act (all that tight blocking really fucked up the flow of the actors' body language). And how Dax Shepard wasn't really acting outside of his comfort zone while Aselton clearly was during the scenes where she really had to emote. But...I don't have that piece in me anymore. Bummer. 

274) Modus Operandi (2009)

274) Modus Operandi (2009) Dir: Frankie Latina Date Released: September 2010 Date Seen: August 31, 2010 Rating: 3.75/5

Damn, I forgot about this movie come list-makin' time. A real shame as it's lotso fun. See my review for the New York Press.

273) Catfish (2010)

273) Catfish (2010) Dir: Henry Joost, Ariel Schulman Date Released: September 2010 Date Seen: August 30, 2010 Rating: 1.5/5

To reiterate what I told everyone within earshot about this movie: if your movie is centered around a question as hollow as, "Is it real or is it fake?" then nine times out of ten the answer is "Fake, dufus!" And lo, even this thing feels fake throughout. Worst part about this is that Henry Joost is one of the guys that did NY Opus: Export Jazz, which couldn't be more different than Catfish in the best way imaginable.  See my review for the New York Press.

272) Lovely, Still (2008) Dir: Nicholas Fackler

272) Lovely, Still (2008) Dir: Nicholas Fackler Date Released: September 2010 Date Seen: August 30, 2010 Rating: 1.5/5

I was surprised, after writing this review, to find that A) other people had seen it B) some even liked it. Huh. Ok, then. See my review for Time Out New York.

271) Piranha (1978) and 276) Piranha 3D (2010)

271) Piranha (1978) Dir: Joe Dante Date Released: August 1978 Date Seen: August 29, 2010 Rating: 3.25/5

276) Piranha 3D (2010) Dir: Alexandre Aja Date Released: August 2010 Date Seen: September 2, 2010 Rating: 1.25/5

I really can't fathom why Aja had the urge to make a perfectly adequate cheapy knockoff of Jaws into the big wet fart that made so many of my favorite ghoulies and girlies go into conniptions last summer. Apart from its opening scene, Greg Nicotero's make-up work and Jerry O'Connell's performance, Piranha 3D is an incompetent attempt at giving the audience what Aja, a director that creatively blew his load before High Tension, his big break-out film, even ended, thinks they want: boobs and guts, dahurhur. 

Nicotero delivers that and then some but who cares? Aja's encourages us to laugh at his victims and then perfunctorily asks us to cheer them on when they struggle to survive at the film's end. If you're making a movie that doesn't vaguely resemble its predecessor, especially in the way that Dante's film cheaply tried to ensure that the piranhas attacks couldn't really be enjoyed by making them attack a beach full of kids, why do you even try to make me care about characters at all? If you want to make scat, fine, just make scat. But do it well, damn it. 

Aja should have just gone for the throat and not let up but he didn't because he sucks. Seriously, he does. Have you not seen his truly miserable Hills Have Eyes remake? The one that's a carbon copy of Wes Craven's original save for a half-assed and proudly scattological new scene that includes an American flag going places it probably shouldn't? Yeah, that film's a product of the same Alexandre Aja that fans of Piranha 3D are defending. The man does not exhibit the intelligence, let alone the invention, that his misanthropic rehash might have required of me to laugh or care for that matter. Dante's film had a modicum of craft to it: it wasn't high art, it wasn't rock 'n roll, really. It was just a competent and good workman-like product. One of the only memorably dynamic scenes in the film is one where our heroes are trapped on a raft and are surrounded by the titular menaces. Apart from that and the opening scene, which is the only overt references to Jaws in the film if I recall correctly, it's pas mal, pas grand chose. But still: this is what you make of that? Really? Feh.

270) Make-Out with Violence (2008)

270) Make-Out with Violence (2008) Dir: The Deagol Brothers Date Released: November 2009 Date Seen: August 29, 2010 Rating: 1.75/5 

I tried to like this, honest Injun. See my apparently controversial review for the New York Press.

269) My Dog Tulip (2009)

269) My Dog Tulip (2009) Dir: Sandra and Paul Fierlinger Date Released: September 2010 Date Seen: August 28, 2010 Rating: 1.75/5

Alternates between trying to give you the warm fuzzies and trying to give you the dry heaves. Very disorienting. Read my review for the New York Press.

267) Four Lions (2010)

267) Four Lions (2010) Dir: Chris Morris Date Released: November 2010 Date Seen: August 27, 2010 Rating: 4/5

I had a recent discussion with Bill Ryan about this film and have found that I probably respect and admire what Morris accomplished with Four Lions now more than before. The immediate comparison that people made upon seeing Four Lions was naturally to In the Loop. This makes sense to a point: Armando Ianucci and Morris were collaborators and remain contemporaries of each other. But beyond that, both films and iconic British comedians are completely different. I prefer Four Lions because Morris has made a film that takes the months of research he invested into the project and uses them as the basis for a broad but keen comedy about the absurdity of radicalism in all of its forms. If you'll indulge me a moment, I'd like to quote from my conversation with Bill because I think it got to the heart of what I liked about the film:

"I think Morris's point was that radicalism of any sort is absurd. He points to the counter-terrorism forces as a form of institutionalized radicalism: they counter bumbling violence with more bumbling violence. I thought given the circumstances he sets up, that he needed to dump on them, to be honest, just to show that it's not Islamic terrorists he objects to but rather the principle of politically motivated violence...he objects to terrorism, yes. But not specifically Islamic terrorists but rather radicalism. So yes, he probably would take issue with the methods of police, too. I mean, keep in mind, this film is mostly fixated on the methods, the preparation and the planning phase of the terrorist cell. It's about the absurdity of the process, not about the impact of the violence they plan. It's why Morris makes fun of the way the counter-terrorists profile people: it's a ninja turtle! No, it's a wookiee! What's a wookiee? They don't even know what they're looking at. It's not the institution of the police he takes issue with but rather how they practice their power. I think."

265) The Whistler (1944) and 266) 13 Ghosts (1960)

265) The Whistler (1944) Dir: William Castle Date Released: March 1944 Date Seen: August 26, 2010 Rating: 3.75/5

266) 13 Ghosts (1960) Dir: William Castle Date Released: July 1960 Date Seen: August 26, 2010 Rating: 3.25/5

Was impressed with the consistency that Castle's films fixate on the horrors of marriage and norms of domesticity, even if he seems to have done it almost by accident. See my piece for the NY Press.

264) Perceval le Gallois (1978)

264) Perceval le Gallois (1978) Dir: Eric Rohmer Date Released: October 1978 Date Seen: August 25, 2010 Rating: 4.25/5

Wow. I had hoped for the best, knowing that Rohmer-heads like Keith Uhlich were big on Perceval, but seriously, wow. The level of thought and depth of feeling in this deceptively spare staging of the midieval legend is uncanny. I remember being especially mesmerized once the film's second half kicked in but generally, I felt elated and blown away after having seen the film. I really, really wish Perceval wasn't OOP here in the US. I'm sure it's the kind of film that only increases in one's estimation the more one pores over it. The film felt especially special to me because it's the first film directed by Rohmer that really and truly blew me away (had only seen Claire's Knee and Chloe in the Afternoon before this). Suggestions welcome; really regret having missed the Rohmer retro at FSLC.

263) Wings of Desire (1987)

263) Wings of Desire (1987) Dir: Wim Wenders Date Released: May 1988 Date Seen: August 24, 2010 Rating: 4/5

Even this, the most sophisticated and visually rapturous of the Wenders's films I've seen (I haven't seen a lot; I could always see more before making grandiose statements like this, I suppose) has an extremely shallow emotional resonance. Every emotional experience portrayed in Wings of Desire has the potential to be sublime, from a live performance of Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds' "The Carny" to the countless momentary affairs that Bruno Ganz's angel has before and after being transformed into a beautiful and flawed human animal. The cryptic nature of the film's dialogue barely conceals that screenwriter Richard Reitinger's screenplay is almost instantly inaccessible, requiring multiple viewings for its heavy meaning to sink in. It's an oddly intellectual approach for a movie about angels that are wallowing in human emotions. Still, the spectacular tableaux vivant that Wenders creates fosters the illusion of affecting nuance so damn well. He's the most accomplished emo arthouse filmmaker I can think of off-hand. That and $2.25 will get you bus fare. Wings of Desire consistently is gobsmackingly beautiful, especially when viewed using the Criterion Collection's Blu-Ray. It's a necessarily overwhelming experience, which is exactly what Wenders is going for. So yeah, convoluted though it may be, I readily admit that I could just be missing the big picture here. Still: wooooow, neato!

262) Heartbreaker (2010)

262) Heartbreaker (2010) Dir: Pascal Chaumeil Date Released: September 2010 Date Seen: August 23, 2010 Rating: 2.25/5

Romain Duris can do anything. See my interview with the four-letter-word-prone star for Cinematical. 

261) Mesrine: Killer Instinct (2008) and 268) Mesrine: Public Enemy No. 1 (2008)

261) Mesrine: Killer Instinct (2008) Dir: Jean-Francois Richet Date Released: August 2010 Date Seen: August 23, 2010 Rating: 2.5/5

268) Mesrine: Public Enemy No. 1 (2008) Dir: Jean-Francois Richet Date Released: September 2010 Date Seen: August 28, 2010 Rating: 2/5

Meh and meh, even with Vincent Cassel fucking shit up. See my reviews for Slant Magazine.

260) Last Play at Shea (2010)

260) Last Play at Shea (2010) Dir: Paul Crowder and Jon Small Date Released: October 2010 Date Seen: August 21, 2010 Rating: 2/5

Seeing this at Citifiel in the field-level seats with an overpriced drink in hand was the best way to see this totally forgettable doc. See my review for New York Press.

259) Son of a Seahorse (2009)

259) Son of a Seahorse (2009) Dir: Tom and Mary Russell Date Released (DVD): 2009 Date Seen: August 21, 2010 Rating: 3.5/5

Full disclosure: I'm friends with Tom and Mary Russell.

I don't want to write too much about this film simply because my memory of it is a little hazy. But what I do remember being impressed by the way that writing/directing duo Tom and Mary Russell used such a broad style of acting to make a movie filled with jokes consistently uncomfortable. David Schonscheck plays up Nick Kilpatrick's mercurial attitude by constantly over-acting. In any other context, this would be grating but the longer the film goes on, the more apparent it becomes that the Russells are trying to alienate you. If anyone needed proof that a character study doesn't need to follow a sympathetic character in order to be ingratiating or even just satisfying, this is the film. A worthy descendant of King of Comedy.

258) The Expendables (2010)

258) The Expendables (2010) Dir: Sylvester Stallone Date Released: August 2010 Date Seen: August 20, 2010 Rating: 1.25/5

Before seeing this film, I wasn't sure how anyone could get excited for a high-concept actioner like this and after having seen The Expendables, I'm even less sure. Yes, it features your favorite '80s action stars and Dolph Lundgren too and if you like wrestlers like Randy Couture or Jet Li, Jason Statham, or Terry Crews, you might hope you'd be well-served by The Expendables. But this is a film directed by Rambo. Granted, I haven't seen Rambo direct Rambo but come on, I hear that film is only worth it for the crack factor. Stallone's noble hard man of the people act rubs me the wrong way, mostly because I just don't think he's that charming. The Expendables is a snooze because the dialogue is lousy, the action scenes are filmed with no panache (seriously, who shot this film and why was he trying to pay homage to Uwe Boll's Alone in the Dark?) and almost every one of Sly's resourceful actors are given zilch in the way of serviceable material to work with. Who wants to see He-Man, Wong Fei Hung, Chev Chelios or even Rocky like this?

RV!: The Good, the Bad, the Weird (2008)

RV!: The Good The Bad, the Weird (2008) Dir: Kim Ji-Woon Date Released: April 2010 Date Seen: August 19, 2010 Rating: 3.75/5

Ok, it gets better with review. See my dvd review for the New York Press.

257) Nanny McPhee Returns (2010)

257) Nanny McPhee Returns (2010) Dir: Susanna White Date Released: August 2010 Date Seen: August 18, 2010 Rating: 2/5

Eh. Better than I thought it'd be (anticipated a "Feh"). See my review for Slant Magazine.

256) Vampires Suck (2010)

256) Vampires Suck (2010) Dir: Jason Friedberg and Aaron Seltzer Date Released: August 2010 Date Seen: August 17, 2010 Rating: 1/5

"No, seriously, guys, has anyone actually laughed at your jokes in person? If so, can I actually meet these people without the aid of hallucinogens?" See my review for Slant Magazine.

253) Performance (1970), 254) Zabriskie Point and 255) 200 Motels (1971)

253) Performance (1970) Dir: Nicolas Roeg and Donald Cammell Date Released: August 1970 Date Seen:  August 16, 2010 Rating: 3.5/5

254) Zabriskie Point (1970) Dir: Michelangelo Antonioni Date Released: February 1970 Date Seen: August 16, 2010 Rating: 3.75/5

255) 200 Motels (1971) Dir: Tony Palmer and Frank Zappa Date Released: November 1971 Date Seen: August 16, 2010 Rating: 1.5/5

Truly, the counter-culture triple bill of the apocalypse. See my report for the New York Press from the mid-year Film Comment Selects program at the FSLC.

252) The Other Guys (2010)

252) The Other Guys (2010) Dir: Adam McKay Date Seen: August 14, 2010 Rating: 3.5/5

Probably the most consistent and narratively sound of all of the Adam McKay-Will Ferrell comedies. Still, the film's petulant humor is stretched beyond its limits and a lot of the jokes fall flat. That having been said, McKay's song cues are still outstandingly idiosyncratic, as in the use of the Foo Fighters' "My Hero" during the anti-climactic jump scene or of Rage Against the Machine's cover of "Maggie's Farm" during the end credits.McKay's trying to prove something here about the financial crisis but only infrequently, which understandably makes some of the film gratingly lop-sided. But eh, not so much that it really stood out. This is an Adam McKay film, after all. Case in point: I especially enjoyed the bit where they plow through that mountain of cocaine. 

RV!: Saw (2004), RV!: Saw II (2005), RV!: Saw III (2006), RV!: Saw IV (2007), RV!: Saw V (2008) and RV!: Saw VI (2009)

RV!: Saw (2004) Dir: James Wan Date Released: October 2004 Date Seen: August 14, 2010 Rating: 1/5

RV!: Saw II (2005) Dir: Darren Lynn Bousman Date Released: October 2005 Date Seen: August 14, 2010 Rating: 1.5/5

RV!: Saw III (2006) Dir: Darren Lynn Bousman Date Released: October 2006 Date Seen: August 14, 2010 Rating: 1.25/5

RV! Saw IV (2007) Dir: Darren Lynn Bousman Date Released: October 2007 Date Seen: August 14, 2010 Rating: 1.25/5

RV!: Saw V (2008) Dir: David Hackl Date Released: October 2008 Date Seen: August 14, 2010 Rating: 1.75/5

RV!: Saw VI (2009) Dir: Kevin Greutert Date Released: October 2009 Date Seen: August 15, 2010 Rating: 1.25/5

Ok. Ok. OK! So I was going to do something with all this rewatching, some kind of video essay with Matt Seitz. Our respective schedules didn't match up however so this project got shelved, unfortunately. I say "unfortunately" ecause while rewatching these movies was pretty excruciating, it did give me a sense of perspective on the franchise in general and why it really does deserve better critics than it's gotten. The films' soap opera melodramatics look that much more impressive in a scuzzy, over-achieving kind of way when viewed back-to-back like this. A myriad plot points are retconned into existence with all the skill of a magician producing different colored scarves out of his ass in a daisy chain. Which is actually pretty interesting when you consider how the films' emphasis on timed traps works: you can only move the narratives' immediate events forward by going backward. That's actually a pretty impressive conceit for such a lunk-headed series and the main reason why I think the Saw movies are so morbidly fascinating.

251) Man in the Dark (1953)

251) Man in the Dark (1953) Dir: Lew Landers Date Released: April 1953 Date Seen: August 13, 2010 Rating: 3.25/5

Landers's film is a quirky noir that, without the aid of 3D, would be lurid enough. Its fixation with the automaton clown at the carnival, the roller coaster (oh boy, that roller coaster) and the carousel are fittingly surreal and provide a nice edge to the otherwise boilerplate amnesiac protagonist plot device. But in 3D, those scenes have got a little more kick to them in terms of their visual's sheer brute force. Edmond O'Brien was good, I seem to recall. Really regret that I was so caught up in work at the time that I didn't make more time to see other 3D titles at Film Forum's 3D retro; would have loved to have seen the Phantom of the Rue Morgue.

ISF: Pardon My Backfire (1953)

ISF: Pardon My Backfire (1953) Dir: Jules White Date Released: August 1953 Date Seen: August 13, 2010 Rating: 3.75/5

This 3D Three Stooges segment really hit my buttons. It's not especially sophisticated in terms of its slapstick's choreography but I do enjoy seeing 3D technology so fully exploited (love the bit where they're fixing the car, which is probably the most advanced bit in the film, if only in terms of comic timing). One of the only times I've actually sat down and purposefully watched a Three Stooges segment; a good experience. I tend to think that watching them in a movie theater with an audience is preferable because otherwise, I don't really laugh as much. Then again, how often does one have that luxury?

250) Mao's Last Dancer (2009)

250) Mao's Last Dancer (2009) Dir: Bruce Beresford Date Released: August 2010 Date Seen: August 10, 2010 Rating: 1.5/5

This was the review that made me realize that I was and perhaps still am Slant Magazine's hatchet man. I can live with that.

249) Irreversible (2002), ISF: Sodomites (1998) and 251) Enter the Void (2009)

249) Irreversible (2002) Dir: Gaspar Noe Date Released: March 2003 Date Seen: August 9, 2010 Rating: 4/5

ISF: Sodomites (1998) Dir: Gaspar Noe Not Yet Released Date Seen: August 9, 2010 Rating: 3.5/5

251) Enter the Void (2009) Dir: Gaspar Noe Date Released: September 2010 Date Seen: August 11, 2010 Rating: 3/5

Noe's filmography kept building and building right up until Enter the Void, where it sort of plateaued with mixed results. See my interview with Noe for Cinematical.

248) Calvin Marshall (2009)

248) Calvin Marshall (2009) Dir: Gary Lundgren Date Released: August 2010 Date Seen: August 9, 2010 Rating: 2/5 


My first review for Time Out New York. Ah. This was back when I was on a hot streak, busting out and getting all kinds of attention. The good ol' days...of a few months ago.

247) Terribly Happy (2008)

247) Terribly Happy (2008) Dir: Henrik Ruben Genz Date Released: February 2010 Date Seen: August 8, 2010 Rating: 2.5/5

Not what it could've been, to say the least. See my DVD review for the New York Press.

246) Eccentricities of a Blonde-Haired Girl (2009)

246) Eccentricities of a Blonde-Haired Girl (2009) Dir: Manoel de Oliveira Date Released: August 2010 Date Seen: August 5, 2010 Rating: 4/5

Such a superb, compact film. See my review for the New York Press.